Suction conveyer for sheet material



J. G. JONES SUCTION CONVEYER FOR SHEET MATERIAL Nov. 10, 1925' FiledNov. 23, 192s IN V EN TOR,

A TTORNEYS.

JOHN G.1Jo'N`Es,foF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. AssIGNoB. To

' .veyer whichmay be' madeito follow. any desired path, and which ivillremain permanentlyin that path. Another object is to provide a objectswill appear hereinafter in the s P-axented ov. v1,0,

l. if-f@1.560.519 i 'l UNI-T EFD, l PATE 'ELFICE."

v 0F ROCHESTEBNEW YORK, A CORPORATION YORK.

sUCTION CoNvYnRToa SHEET MATEBIL.

Application led November23, 1923. Serial'Na 676,635;

-Tp all' 'iii-710711, 'if may concern.' i

Be it known that I,/JoHN GfJoivns', a citizen of the [Inited States `ofAmerica,

certaimpew and usefulv Improvements in d Suction lConveyers for SheetMaterial, of which the following is a full, '-clear, and

exact description.

This invention relates to conveyers,"'and` 'particularly to conveyerswhich Willfdetinitely hold web material being moved by thev conveyeragainst displacement. One object of my invention` is to provide 'avsubstantially frictionless conveyer 4which will move', without marring,the most delicate web material. Another object is to provide -aconconveyer with which av sheet or long depths of web material will .bedefinitely held against'the conveyer regardlessjof the path of theconveyer, and other ecication, the novel features being pointe out intheclaims at the endthereof.

Fig.- `1 is a section through a conveyer constructed in accordancewithand illustrating one formy ofmy invention; p

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation of lthe power'driven shafts usedlin Fig. 1;

'Fig 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perl tions 1 and 2 conforming closelyto the s'pective of aportion of the conveyer;

tion of a preferred Cil Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevaio'rm ofroller construction; {tI-1d i Fig.l 5' is a diagrammatic side elevationof a second embodiment of my'invention.

I am awarethat rollers alone have been Aused forconveyers and that'insome instances, series of inter1neshing rollers have also been used. Myinvention, vhowever, .broadly comprises using rollers as .anantifriction device in connection with a vacuum chamber adapted to draw'air through the rollers to hold web material against the conveyer. i i

I have selected for illustrating my invention a turtle-back against theconcavel side of which a web IV of material is to be y'carried againstthe action of gravity. I have.

4 i ated the sizeof therllersrelatiye to the- 'turtle" back. l

lThe'weh lV Whichvmay bev of any desired Eastman Komix comrmaterial, mayhave a base B upon which i there is a sensitized coating S, Thissensitiveness may be due to damp ink, paint orl dye, a photographicemulsion, a gelatine coating or any other coating which has not yet set,.which may be'marred or damaged if'it comes in contact'witha support. lOb- .viously so long as thehase B rests on the conveyer `through gravityor because oftension applied' to the web the sensitized coating S will'not become damaged. When, however, it desirable to carry `the -materialthrough a path in which vit can not be so heldl a` special type ofconveyer is necessariy. l

One vform of my conveyer consists of af plurality of rollers or spoolswith alternate large r ollers.1 and-small rollers 2.mounted to turn withshafts '3 carried by suitable bearings4 (only onev being shown) andbeing dr1ven by sprockets 5 which are moved by a chain 6. This chain, asshown in v2 may be driven by al'sprocket 7 throng gears 8 and 9 bythe'fmotor, 10. There is thus formed a path of antifriction membersthrough which, sheet material may be conducted. as will be hereinafterdescribed.

On the o'utside row of rollers, as shown ,in Fig. 3, there is apartition edge plate 11 having an edge 11', with concave porrollers. A4similar plate 12 is on the opposite side of the conveyer and theseplates are connectedby a wall-13 to form asubstantially air tightsuction chamber 14.

' Air is exhausted by tlie exhauster' 21 -through a main pipe 15 towhich supplementary pipes 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 maybe connected to drawthe air evenly from all parts of the chamber 14. The rollersactudelicate base B will not be injured bythe conveyer, as the'peripheral speed of the rollers-is the speed at which" vthe sheet ismoved; and as the sensitive side S is never contact with an'y 4part ofthe machine it is not injured in any Way.

' There are many applications for in-v vention. Another embodiment isshown in 'the dryer 30 of Fi .5, where the web may be passed through t edrier upon rollers 31, lying thereagainst through gravity, then it maybe carried toward the entrance openi .32 by a `conveyer33 having rollers`34: an 35, and suction chamber 36, after which it may pass over rollers37 and out through an :w I the conveyer'frst to prevent loss of suction,

exit 38. Such a drier may be made much shorter than is usually thecase.Inaddition the air 'suction facilitates drying as the airis dra-wnIagainst the sheet material andthrough the co'nveyer.l 7

yIn threading a long web to start through the conveyer it is notnecessary to cover up as the end of the web B may be placed over thenearest-roller, after which it willroll along'the conveyer withoutfurther attention'.-y 4Sheetsl of-material, evei. small sizes canbesuccessfully carried without falling vor blowin from the conveyer. Thistype conveyer a y 1 nection with the automatic ve described can be usedin conlm spooling machine shown in mypending 'application filed May31,1993, Serial No. 642,398, where the f' conveyers shown in thedrawings as 8, 11

and 40 `may be of thistype.

Since there are 'so many applications \t Iwhich my invention maybe'applied I do not wishto limit myself to the orms 'shown' in thedrawings by way of illustration, but

.i contemplate as withinthe scope of my invention all such forms as mayfall-within the scope of the appended claims.

Havin'githus described my invention, what Y I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In av conveyermfor'sheet material,the

combination with aplurality of intermeshed conveyer -rollers, vsomerollers being of ater diameter than others, and arranged with their.eripheries lying close to eachV i other. where vintersticesare leftbetween the rollers, said rial being conveyed .against the rollers.Y 2;Ina conveyer for sheet material the combination with a plurality ofintermeshed 'rollers mounted closely together with intersticestherebetween, a power drive through which the rollers are actuated, andmeans with o ne sideof the rollers .for

rollers`forming one wall of a suction chamber associated with the roll-`ers, and means for drawing air through the -interstces' between the.rollers to hold .mateair through the interstices between the rollerswhereby a vsheet lying upon the rollers willy be movedand.hel d againstthe I being drawn throughthe interstices.

4. In a conveyer for sheet material, the combination with a plurality ofmovable l.members having interstices therebetween, of

rollers and retainedupon the rollers the air y lso a suction-chamber,the movable members.

forming one wallof thesuction chambers through which'air may be drawn,th other walls of the suction chamber associate with the front wallbeing substantially. airli tight, means tending to exhaust air from 4thesuction chamber whereby sheet material may be retained on'the movablemembers, and means for. actuating' the movable members,

be moved. y

5. In a`- conveyer for sheetmaterial the combination with a suction boxcom rising a'plurality of fixed walls, and a wa consisting of aplurality of'r'ollers having an` "overlapping relation with respect toeachother, said rollers having their walls sepa-v rated to provideinterstices through which air may be drawn, two walls of the suction boxharing an edge shaped to conform with the shape ofthe rollers, whereby asubstantially air tight edge for the suction box is produced.

6. In a conveyer for sheet material the combination with asuctionbox'comprising a plurality of fixed walls, and a. wallconsist-I ing of aplurality of rollers the rollers being of different diametersintermeshed with each other to rovide a plurality of interstices betweent e rollers, walls of the suction box lurality fof` curved edges forhaving' a I orming to the shape of the rollclosely co ers'and for jointtherewith, and means for drawing air from the suction box, wherebymaterial may be -held upon the rollers.

' Signed at Rochester, New York, this 20th y 'day of November, 1923.`JOHN'G. JONES.

forming asubstantially air tight i 90 l whereby the sheet material soretained may

